Four Families, One World: A Mome Rath Meets Beverly! May 29-June 5, 2011

[21hearts]

I'm here! Had a very busy day with doctor appointments for Rachel today.

So WOW what a apartment! I'm speechless.

Okay so the only characters I've ever seen at the World Showcase are Donald Duck (& this was years ago) and Aurora last March. This trip I am determined to see some more characters.

 

[TarzansKat]

I'm in!

And may I say, nice digs.

And holy carp, you pulled this trip together quickly.

And I'm all about character meet and greets, so I'm loving your start in Epcot!

 

[kwitcherkicken99]

I'm here! Had a very busy day with doctor appointments for Rachel today.

Were these routine check-up visits??? [I hope]

So WOW what a apartment! I'm speechless.

We were REALLY lucky. That was the second thing I told my husband (after "get the bail money ready") Norma didn't tell ANY of us that she booked the presidential suite. We even got a prime location. The rooms are so big, they can only fit 5 on one side (of our floor) and 6 on the other. (The room next to us was the showcase room.) I saw we lucked out because we were on the top floor AND facing the pool. It was great!

Okay so the only characters I've ever seen at the World Showcase are Donald Duck (& this was years ago) and Aurora last March. This trip I am determined to see some more characters.

Okay... here is where we found everyone:
UK - Mary Poppins and Alice meet on the main path across from Yorkshire fish and chips CS place. Alice stands in front of a little cottage, Mary Poppins is just up the path. We didn't stop for either girl this time. Totally the kid's call.

Pooh and usually Tigger meet in the toy shop in the UK. The WS Players do little shows on the path that leads to the toy shop.

OCCASIONALLY you will see training meet and greets at the International Gateway dock and the Millenium Village gate (the BIG brown gate in between Canada and the UK). I have NEVER been lucky enough to catch the M&G at Millenium Village.

FRANCE - Aurora meets on a path the the far right (as you are facing the pavilion) near the water (closest to the I-Gateway).

Marie meets at the tall round thingy that is covered with all the flyers and such. You will cross her meeting ground BEFORE you reach Aurora if you are coming from the UK.

Belle and Beast meet just past the crepe station as you head towards Morocco.

MOROCCO - Alladin and Jasmine met on the main pathway across from the pavilion near the World Showcase lagoon.

GERMANY - Snow White meets at her wishing well which is on the far left (again, I'm moving counter-clockwise around WS). It's kind of tucked away and you wouldn't notice it if you weren't looking for it. FYI - the line starts near the big door, not by the building. Learned that from experience.

CHINA - Mulan meets either right on the main path OR near the theater.

MEXICO - Donald meets just before the pyramid in that little alcove where the mariachi band plays.

Biggest thing to remember: most of the characters are gone by 4 - so get there early!

You can also see Stitch and Daisy near the entrance of EP, just past the gates, and also the Fab 5 at the Character Spot, though personally, I HATE waiting there... it ALWAYS takes forever.

I'm in!

And may I say, nice digs.

And holy carp, you pulled this trip together quickly.

And I'm all about character meet and greets, so I'm loving your start in Epcot!

I was pretty much doing all the planning and keeping tabs on their trip dates because my buddy works 3 jobs and her mom keeps equally busy. I had the time so I kept up with everything. Plugging us into the equation was as easy as Shake 'n Bake.

[BTW - I'm all caught up on your's and Amanda's TR - I just haven't commented yet!!!]

 

[kwitcherkicken99]

After we saw Belle, we broke for our picnic lunch and then continued through France where DD saw “kitty”. I asked if they wanted to stop to see Marie and they asked to see her too. By the time we got up to Marie, DD chickened out again, so only DS went up to see her.

Just as we finished with Marie, we heard Princess Aurora was due to make an appearance at any moment. We grabbed our things and went over to her spot. DD didn’t hear me say who we were going to see next, so she started jumping up and down when Briar Rose came down the path.

She is probably the BEST Aurora we have met so far. Such a sweetie! The time was drawing near for Beast to make his first appearance for the day so we piled into the stroller again and backtracked past the crepe station to get in a MASSIVE line. Beast is an awful popular guy! We were neighbored by two families that were on the hunt as well, so we sat and swapped character hints and tips for the day. Both groups had Snow White on their list and were surprised when I told them about Jasmine, Alladin, and Snow White.

We finally got up to see Beast after about a 20 minute wait and Belle greeted the kids as old friends. :

I promised DS that we would ride “the golf ball” after seeing Beast, so off we set for FW. I will have to say, I was really bummed out that Rome was no longer burning on our trip. I sniffed and sniffed but the smell was gone. It cracks me up as I review the pictures from the trip. DS tells everyone this is our future.

It was about 2:00 by now, and the kids REALLY wanted to see Snow White. We didn’t have many options of things to do to kill time and we were hot. The day that started out very mild was turning into a miserable, hot day. Since we were in FW, we decided to head over to the Character Spot to cool off. The sign said 30 minutes. All I can say is, yeah… I wish! Granted, it was a great time filler and we definitely cured our hotness.

ETA: I won't have any character spot photos until we get our Photopass CD, but there is a diamond in the bunch. I'll share as soon as I can.

After the character spot, we decided to line up for Tinkerbell. We stood in a really long line for the 4:00p showing, but asked the CM if Snow White had made it in yet. He told us that he did see her, so off to Germany we went.

We got in line with everyone else then witnessed another group of people start a different line. Great… When our friend from the morning came out, she made us move to the back of the new line. A couple of folks went postal over the whole event and cut in line of the late-comers. This girl REALLY had Snow White down – right to the voice and she played it up as if her life depended on it.

We set back off for Tink. I won’t lie, and I know I received crap about this… but I’m REALLY bummed that it was just Tink. She did make quite the entrance though. I have NEVER seen a character come in any other way than through the super secret CM paths to their spots. This Tink came charging across the Plaza in front of Mouse Gears, jumped up on a bit of landscaping, behind a flag, and over to her spot. The kids took over one of our handheld fans to show her – in case she wanted to see how it worked.

We did encounter several training CMs. It was rare for us to see no less than 3-4 CMs in a little pod moving throughout the park. It was supposedly a 4.3 day at EP that day but we didn’t feel it. It’s one of the reasons I love that park!

We called it a day after seeing Tink. The condo was about a 3 miles from EP. Our compadres made it home a few minutes before we did. We didn’t expect dinner to be on the table, so it was a nice surprise to come home to.

 

[shocky5]

Still loving all the pictures! Your TR inspires me to become more diligent in the character hunting! We've always just kind of hit and miss who we got to meet! So any tips you want to throw in, let 'em fly!

 

[kwitcherkicken99]

I could probably write a dissertation on where to find people.

I'll see what I can put together!

When we do our family trips, we plan certain character meals so we don't have to stop for those characters in the parks. It saves time AND we can focus on finding some characters that are a little more special!

 

[shocky5]

I could probably write a dissertation on where to find people.

I'll see what I can put together!

When we do our family trips, we plan certain character meals so we don't have to stop for those characters in the parks. It saves time AND we can focus on finding some characters that are a little more special!

Great idea! We will have character meals where we will get to see Mickey, Minnie, Donald, Daisy, Pluto, Goofy, Winnie, Tigger, Piglet, Eeyore, Lilo, Stitch, Cinderella, Prince Charming, Evil Step mom and sisters.... those are the only ones I can think of right now. So we would definitely be looking for more princesses, fairies, and company!

My kids were so excited to see Alice last trip - she was unexpected and they loved that!!!

 

[DISNEYaddict4evr]

Lovin' it lovin' t! though I wonder if maybe you can find a pic where she is looking and do some photoshop just gosh darn it her eyes are closed in EVER SINGLE one ::sigh:: it would drive me nuts!

Looks like you had a great day! Where do you guys stop for lunch? Eat any fun snacks?

 

[kwitcherkicken99]

We brown bagged it for most of the beginning of the trip to save money.

We took most of our own snacks.

And no, I can't Photoshop anything... she doesn't like her picture taken, so having her face forward is good enough.

 

[21hearts]

Thank you so much for the list on the characters! I copied it and I'm going to bring it to the parks with us.

Your Epcot day sounds great! When we went in March Tinker Bell would not stop talking to my DS & cousin. We were standing there for 15 minutes because she wouldn't stop talking. My uncle was like "Okay we need to go" but Tinker Bell wouldn't let go of there hands and just kept talking.... It was crazy. Then when she finally let go she kept saying "No bring them back" as we walked away... Completely weird!!! Okay I just started to ramble now...

 

[Caretames1]

When we went through Epcot, it seemed we just missed a lot of characters, but that was okay, because we did do a bunch a character meal so we could skip by. The only ones we seen in the WS were Mulan & Marie.

Your pictures are nice and crisp!

 

[TarzansKat]

I saw an energetic character once, similar to your Tink experience.

It was a long time ago, but it made for a really fun interaction. Looks like you and the kids are having a great time!

 

[mom2rtk]

Hey Jenn!

Sorry to disappear... That's fairly typical for me though. I get involved in something, but always come back and catch up in batches. Heck, I do that with my own TR!

First off, your kids are about as cute as can be! I knew they were young, but the photo helps. They're just babies. Sigh..........

It was so fun to take a moment to catch up and already find a bunch of cool character photos!

What a great treat to find the Queen of Hearts waiting for you! Although I felt for her (well, around here we're pretty convinced she's a he...... but I digress). That heat must have been MISERABLE in that costume! We were really disappointed they took her (and I think ALL the Alice characters) out of MVMCP last year. BOO!

I love that your baby calls Marie "kitty"!

I feel your disappointment with Tink being the only fairy. Her entrance that day sounds like a lot of fun though. Wish I had seen that! Maybe we should all meet up in December to find the other fairies. Surely the new spot will be open in Adventureland by then????

Yeah for finally hunting down Snow White. Gave me a little flashback to our own Snow White stalking ..........err............ hunt........... last year! Do these CM's really think we'll take no for an answer that easliy?

The pictures are gorgeous. Or maybe I'm just blinded by all that cuteness!

 

[kwitcherkicken99]

Thank you so much for the list on the characters! I copied it and I'm going to bring it to the parks with us.

Your Epcot day sounds great! When we went in March Tinker Bell would not stop talking to my DS & cousin. We were standing there for 15 minutes because she wouldn't stop talking. My uncle was like "Okay we need to go" but Tinker Bell wouldn't let go of there hands and just kept talking.... It was crazy. Then when she finally let go she kept saying "No bring them back" as we walked away... Completely weird!!! Okay I just started to ramble now...

No problem! I always knew they were back there, and honestly, a couple of them aren't very obvious!

Crazy about Tink, but hey... she's a pistol, that's for sure! If I were to ever be a character, I think she would be the most fun!

When we went through Epcot, it seemed we just missed a lot of characters, but that was okay, because we did do a bunch a character meal so we could skip by. The only ones we seen in the WS were Mulan & Marie.

Your pictures are nice and crisp!

That's just it... most of the characters are done at or just after 4p. We did plan our character meals on purpose to save time in the parks, however, since we were obviously OOP for meals this time, it was a free for all!

Thanks for the compliment on my pictures! I've had LOTS of practice.

I saw an energetic character once, similar to your Tink experience.

It was a long time ago, but it made for a really fun interaction. Looks like you and the kids are having a great time!

We did. It was a really great day for us.

Hey Jenn!

Sorry to disappear... That's fairly typical for me though. I get involved in something, but always come back and catch up in batches. Heck, I do that with my own TR!

First off, your kids are about as cute as can be! I knew they were young, but the photo helps. They're just babies. Sigh..........

It was so fun to take a moment to catch up and already find a bunch of cool character photos!

I understand... life happens. That's part of the reason I'm pushing through this so quickly because July is upon us and I have SEVERAL 4-H fairs looming in the future. One week alone, I have 4 that I'm scheduled to judge at, and my county fair is that week as well. With my affiliation with a certain political party and being one of the officers in the club, it is expected that I be at OUR fair manning the booth as well.

I'll sleep when I'm dead.

What a great treat to find the Queen of Hearts waiting for you! Although I felt for her (well, around here we're pretty convinced she's a he...... but I digress). That heat must have been MISERABLE in that costume! We were really disappointed they took her (and I think ALL the Alice characters) out of MVMCP last year. BOO!

Did I say anything about the play I took DD to the other day?? We saw Cinderella and the step-sisters were in drag...

That morning was actually REALLY mild. I'd say it wasn't above 80* that morning, but the heat grew.

I love that your baby calls Marie "kitty"!

I feel your disappointment with Tink being the only fairy. Her entrance that day sounds like a lot of fun though. Wish I had seen that! Maybe we should all meet up in December to find the other fairies. Surely the new spot will be open in Adventureland by then????

I sure hope so. There's NO REASON that old space isn't ready. It's practically empty except for the planters they use to dress up the space for MNSSHP/MVMCP...

Yeah for finally hunting down Snow White. Gave me a little flashback to our own Snow White stalking ..........err............ hunt........... last year! Do these CM's really think we'll take no for an answer that easliy?

The pictures are gorgeous. Or maybe I'm just blinded by all that cuteness!

IKWYM... I couldn't believe our luck that morning. More to come on stalking.

Thanks about the pictures, but I still to your parade photos. I had to "beef" mine up a bit. MSEP is a PITA as far as trying to balance the lights and motion with a flash... I had a LOT of misses and a few hits.

 

[kwitcherkicken99]

We had an early start today. Breakfast at O’Hana was the first order of business. We did O’Hana on our first family visit so I was really excited to return for breakfast. Once we got checked in we got our group picture taken and found a place to sit and wait for our table. We had a little problem right off the bat.

But I took some time taking pictures of the kids to fill our wait time up.

DD did really good keeping her leis on. She actually wore them for most of the day! We had another little incident

– two time outs later… was that our glitch for the mission?

We got seated after about 20 minutes and were greeted by the character parade!

The food was really good, as was the juice. Omigosh is that stuff good! I wish I could replicate it at home!

Stitch was our first visitor and he was slightly overwhelmed with the volume of autographs we asked for. Each kid had their own book, Linzie and Norma had books too. At one point, Stitch began tossing the books over his shoulder once he was done signing!

Lilo came by next and then there was another parade.

Pluto grabbed DS and we were off. After the parade, both Mickey and Pluto were at our table at the same time. DD was overjoyed to see him.

Mickey took off on us to the next table while the kids were with Pluto, but he came back.

Grandma Norma sent us with the kids downstairs to take pictures while she got our group photo added to our Photopass.

DD has this “thing” that she does… it’s called her “mean” face. My FIL looses it whenever she does it, so this one is for him.

What’s that I hear??? Uncle Murphy is calling??? We discovered later on that day that we lost an SD camera card sometime at O’Hana. All of the pictures from the pool on our arrival day and Sea World are now gone. To this day, we’ve not been able to locate the card.

 

[Caretames1]

UGH! The pain of losing a SD card would probably kill me. I am a little OCD about my cards. I'll check and double check to make sure they are secure in my pouch and then maybe check agin

I love your DD's mean face. My Kadence has one the kind freaks me out a bit. Chin down, eyes up at me, no emotion on her face.

Stitch was a blast with us too. My older DD wasn't showing hin the proper amount of attention so he started licking her

 

[TarzansKat]

Bummer on losing the card!

Looks like a fun breakfast. It's one we haven't done, and the characters look so cute, I love Mickey in his Hawaiian shirt.

I can't get over the mean face. It is too funny.

 

[kwitcherkicken99]

UGH! The pain of losing a SD card would probably kill me. I am a little OCD about my cards. I'll check and double check to make sure they are secure in my pouch and then maybe check agin

I love your DD's mean face. My Kadence has one the kind freaks me out a bit. Chin down, eyes up at me, no emotion on her face.

Stitch was a blast with us too. My older DD wasn't showing hin the proper amount of attention so he started licking her

Leia is heartbroken. It was a full card... that's the only reason it was out of the camera. She swapped cards then she had to deal with the time outs, then we got called back. Somehow in all that, it disappeared.

We've not met a bad Stitch yet! He's growing as one of my favorites!

Bummer on losing the card!

Looks like a fun breakfast. It's one we haven't done, and the characters look so cute, I love Mickey in his Hawaiian shirt.

I can't get over the mean face. It is too funny.

O'Hana is a really great breakfast. It's served family style. You get sausages, eggs, two types of bread, potatoes... did I mention the juice??? I wish I could bottle the stuff.

Some of our BEST character interactions have been here for breakfast. I can't wait to try it for dinner in December.

 

[mom2rtk]

on the lost card! I'd be devastated. I'm so sorry.

The 'ohana photos look great. Made me want to rethink not ever scheduling that breakfast for us. So I checked with Katie. A definite no-go. Too many bad associations. She got sick at the Lilo and Stitch breakfast in 05 and was teased mercilessly by her brothers for years about it. I did remind her this is a different restaurant on a different....... coast. But no go. Go figure.

I'll have to settle for living vicariously for now...

The mad look is priceless!

 

[kwitcherkicken99]

on the lost card! I'd be devastated. I'm so sorry.

The 'ohana photos look great. Made me want to rethink not ever scheduling that breakfast for us. So I checked with Katie. A definite no-go. Too many bad associations. She got sick at the Lilo and Stitch breakfast in 05 and was teased mercilessly by her brothers for years about it. I did remind her this is a different restaurant on a different....... coast. But no go. Go figure.

I'll have to settle for living vicariously for now...

The mad look is priceless!

Poor girl!

You can share these with Katie...

1) my mom forced me to try escargo... I tossed it in our hotel room a couple hours later. I swear it was the snails... she, to this DAY, swears I had the flu...

2) Family Thanksgiving,I tell my folks I. That I feel terrible. They tell me to go lay. Down. Shortly after, they pull me out of bed to go over to Sears for a portrait of all the cousins...you can guess what happened next... I tossed it OVER my cousin's shoulder, right onto the studio floor.

I still get crap, but not as bad as my cousin... he dropped me on my head when he was 2 and I was 6 weeks old.

We've all got SOMETHING in our past.